sunday
Cold weather has descended upon us. Not as cold as it could be but cold enough that I don't want to be outside. Yesterday, from the little bit I was outside (going back and forth to the car when I was shopping in town and going outside for the chickens) my cheeks and lips got chapped. There was a nasty wind. Dave was outside nearly the entire day hunting. He's much more hardy than I am.
As an add-on project to art a day I think I will do Face A Day for the month of December. The least that is required is a circle and some dots for eyes. And I might resort to that if I don't have the energy for anything better - it would be the equivalent to doing a drippy painting. But having a new project makes it more exciting. Having a tighter definition makes it easier somehow. I felt like I was running out of ideas.
I was complaining last night to Kathy that my life feels so small. Figuring out what to do for art-a-day seems like the most challenging thing I do some days. I'm feeling like I don't have a very meaningful life. What is my Purpose? My affirmation I got this morning was, "I am willing to have a humble heart so happiness can enter there today". Which got me thinking about how the Dalai Lama said, "I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being." I only have a few people (and animals) that I am in contact with - friends, family, pets. After I do things with them I have a lot of time left over to do "meaningless" things just for my own enjoyment - artsy stuff, puzzles, piano, crochet, photography, being outside. A bit of guilt comes in. Why am I so lucky when many people are struggling and miserable? Should I do MORE for others - maybe people beyond those I personally know? Should I reach out to get to know more people? Typical thoughts that get into my head and make it so I can't be "happy". Anyway - I do have things I can do for others today. I'm making vegan Sunday dinner. That's something, right? A clean and pleasant place for family to get together. Some nourishment. I'm making sushi again. That seems to be a favorite and it's naturally vegan. I climbed the ladder into the attic and got down the xmas box this morning. I want to look through that and see if there's anything I want to add to the ceramic tree to make things more holiday-like.
Well, onward. It's past 8 am. The chickens need to be let out of their sleeping place. It's cold out there. 19F at the moment. I have a heater in their coop that comes on when it goes below 20. I'll check to see if that came on last night.
As an add-on project to art a day I think I will do Face A Day for the month of December. The least that is required is a circle and some dots for eyes. And I might resort to that if I don't have the energy for anything better - it would be the equivalent to doing a drippy painting. But having a new project makes it more exciting. Having a tighter definition makes it easier somehow. I felt like I was running out of ideas.
I was complaining last night to Kathy that my life feels so small. Figuring out what to do for art-a-day seems like the most challenging thing I do some days. I'm feeling like I don't have a very meaningful life. What is my Purpose? My affirmation I got this morning was, "I am willing to have a humble heart so happiness can enter there today". Which got me thinking about how the Dalai Lama said, "I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being." I only have a few people (and animals) that I am in contact with - friends, family, pets. After I do things with them I have a lot of time left over to do "meaningless" things just for my own enjoyment - artsy stuff, puzzles, piano, crochet, photography, being outside. A bit of guilt comes in. Why am I so lucky when many people are struggling and miserable? Should I do MORE for others - maybe people beyond those I personally know? Should I reach out to get to know more people? Typical thoughts that get into my head and make it so I can't be "happy". Anyway - I do have things I can do for others today. I'm making vegan Sunday dinner. That's something, right? A clean and pleasant place for family to get together. Some nourishment. I'm making sushi again. That seems to be a favorite and it's naturally vegan. I climbed the ladder into the attic and got down the xmas box this morning. I want to look through that and see if there's anything I want to add to the ceramic tree to make things more holiday-like.
Well, onward. It's past 8 am. The chickens need to be let out of their sleeping place. It's cold out there. 19F at the moment. I have a heater in their coop that comes on when it goes below 20. I'll check to see if that came on last night.